Dengue claims four lives, over 5,000 got infected

So far, at least four people, including a pregnant woman, have died of dengue, which has infected more than 5,000 people this year. A 38 year old male died of dengue at Medicity Hospital on Wednesday, according to Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under the Health Ministry. Similarly, a patient died of dengue in Kapilvastu and another one died in Dhading district. A pregnant woman died of dengue at TU Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj of Kathmandu last week. Every day Kathmandu’s major hospitals are receiving dengue patients in a large number, according to officials at the Health Ministry. Shukraraj Tropical Hospital alone is receiving more than 150 dengue patients every day. According to sources, in Bir Hospital located in the heart of the city daily 80 to 100 patients infected by dengue are visiting.

Dengue has spread so far 72 districts out of the 77 across the country. The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division has informed that 5,029 people have been infected with the dengue virus so far this year. The number of infected patients could be 10 times more than reported as 90 percent of the cases are asymptomatic, according to officials.

Of the total infections, over 70 percent are concentrated in 10 districts, including Lalitpur with 1,832 cases, Kathmandu with 888 cases, and Makwanpur  with 598 cases, according to officials. Dengue is transmitted by female Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, after they bite an individual. High fever, severe muscle pain, rashes, severe headache, pain in eyes and vomiting are some of the symptoms of dengue.